Chapter 12: Interlude

The January morning was crisp and clear as Nico and Dani pulled away from the Georges V in Paris and headed south toward Barcelona. Nico enjoyed driving, and he thought that Dani would appreciate seeing some of the French countryside rather than just flying over it, so he'd arranged to rent a car in Paris and return it in Barcelona.

"Seems like old times, doesn't it, Dr. Santino?" he smirked as he headed out of the city.

"Well, if you're gonna start calling me Dr. Santino, I'd say it seems like very old times. I can remember a lot of trips that involved some pretty sticky situations – many that began with a knock on my door at 3 a.m. – and that ended with you driving all over creation…"

"And you catching 40 winks in the passenger seat!"

She laughed. "I need more sleep than you do!"

He looked at her affectionately. "But we always made a good team. I think we still do."

She patted his arm. "I agree.

"So how far are we traveling today, Nico?"

His quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well, that's entirely up to you."

That answer made Dani sit up and take notice. "Wait a minute. There is no well-thought-out and absolutely inflexible Nico-plan for this drive?"

"Nope."

"OK. What's wrong with this picture?" she teased. "Nico Careles always has everything planned down to the tiniest detail. So what has made this, you should excuse the term, 'control freak,' decide to become a Bohemian? Eh, Careles?"

"Very funny." He shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Perhaps you haven't noticed that all my carefully laid plans have pretty much turned to shit so far on this trip.

"We stayed an extra day in Pittsburgh because my Mom wanted to have a family get-together."

"And I'm so happy that we did. I loved spending time with your family!"

He frowned. "You're interrupting my pity party, Dr. Santino. Then we got to Paris, and I had to deal with Juliette's situation with that asshole Gerard. That took up most of the first couple of days.

"Then Gabrielle showed up." He sighed. Enough said about that.

"We could do this trip in a straight shot in about 10 hours, but we have three days, since you've already told Jeanette that we wouldn't be there until Monday. So instead of just taking the E15, I thought we might go a little off the beaten path. How does that sound?"

"Like it's just what the doctor ordered."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dani started to drift off, just like she always did when she rode long distances with Nico. Usually, she was something of a backseat driver, a habit that had formed over years of monitoring Ray's erratic driving. But with Nico, she always felt safe enough to close her eyes and relax.

And besides, they'd left a little early and she hadn't gotten much sleep. She remembered why and smiled to herself.

She was awoken a short time later by a strange sensation against her leg, and she finally realized that her phone was buzzing in the pocket of her jeans. She just missed getting to the call before it disconnected.

"Oh, shit. I forgot to take my phone off silent. You know, after the Eiffel Tower."

There'd been a sign asking everyone to put their phones on silent mode. They'd both complied, willingly. Phone calls were the last thing they were looking for at that point in the day.

Nico looked a little sheepish.

"You, too?" she asked.

"Well, I was a little distracted." He grinned at her. "Can you grab it from my jacket and see if I have any messages."

Dani looked at both phones. "Uh, oh."

"What's the matter?"

"We each have a half a dozen messages. Yours are from Juliette and mine are from Ray Jay. I'll call him back right now."

Ray Jay answered on the first ring.

"Mom, thank God."

"You're scaring me, Ray Jay! What the hell's the matter?"

She heard a commotion in the background, and could just make out Juliette saying, "Give me the phone, Ray Jay." And then her voice came on the line.

"Dani, we've been trying to get you since last night. After you left, Emilie opened her big, fat mouth and told my mother that you guys were headed to Barcelona. She even told her about that restaurant that your friend's husband owns."

She paused. "And then later on, we found out that Gabrielle…honestly, Dani, I had no idea she'd do anything so…I don't know…creepy!" She sounded both angry and apologetic.

"What's Gabrielle done now, Juliette?"

Nico glanced over at her, a worried frown on his face. Dani shook her head and shrugged.

"She's gone to Barcelona. I'm not sure how she's traveling, but she doesn't like to fly unless she has to, so if I had to guess, I'd say she's probably taken the train. She's staying at the Majestic Hotel."

Dani was so shocked, she was speechless. Even for Gabrielle, this seemed a little…over-the-top.

"And Dani? We're coming to Barcelona, Ray Jay and me. On Sunday night."

"What! But…but why, Juliette?"

"Because I got you and Nico into this mess and I'm not letting you face her alone." She sounded very determined and very worried.

Ray Jay grabbed the phone back at that point.

"Mom? This was Juliette's idea, but just say the word and I'll lock her in the closet or something. We've already fu…uh…screwed up your vacation enough as it is."

He went on, "But…I have to admit, I wouldn't mind seeing Linds. It's been kind of a long time."

Dani glanced at Nico, but knew that if she asked, he would say that this was her call.

"No, don't lock her in the closet, Ray Jay." She sighed. "You might as well come. Nico and I have 3 days of alone time to decompress, and," she suddenly smiled, "it would be great to have my two kids in the same room again."

"OK, Mom, if you're sure."

"Just keep me posted."

Dani hung up and looked at Nico. His faced asked the question.

"Gabrielle is on her way to Barcelona. And the cavalry, in the form of Ray Jay and Juliette, are riding to the rescue. They'll be there on Sunday night."

Her tone was light, but Nico could see the worry in her eyes.

He shook his head in disbelief. "I guess we'd better make the most of the next three days."

XXXXXXXXXX

Nico had had the kitchen at the Georges V make them up a picnic lunch, so that they wouldn't have to find a restaurant until the evening. Dani agreed that this was a terrific idea but, uh-

"Spit it out, Dani. What's wrong?"

"Well…don't get too far from civilization, OK. I mean, at some point, I'm going to need to use the…uh…facilities."

"The facilities?" It took him a second. "Oh, yeah, of course. We'll be passing through small towns, and they all have cafes and restaurants. Some even have inns, so don't worry.

"You know, Dani, You'd never have made it in the military," he teased.

"Well, that's pretty much a given," she smiled. "And that reminds me Nico, that's one thing we've never talked about."

"What's that?"

"Well, you said you joined the Navy at 22. So how did that come about?"

He paused and then gave her a big grin.

"Football."

"You joined the Navy because of football?"

"In a way.

"My Dad came east to Pittsburgh to go to school, but he's originally from Indiana. And a college football fan. Now if you're from Indiana, and you're into college football…."His voiced trailed off, and he was thinking she might catch on…but no.

"Notre Dame, Dani. My Dad was a huge fan, and I grew up watching and discussing Notre Dame football like it was a religion. So, when it came time to choose a college, I was so enamored of the place that I didn't even consider going anywhere else."

"Notre Dame? That's a great school, not easy to get into. Of course, I assume you were a good student, Nico."

"I don't know why you would make that assumption, Dani, but as it happens, I was. I was accepted, but there was still a major stumbling block."

He gave her a quick look out of the corner of his eye.

"When we were in Pittsburgh, did you happen to hear about what my folks did before they retired?"

"They were both teachers, right?"

"Right. High school. Mom taught math and Dad, social studies. They made a decent living, especially since my Dad worked construction every summer for probably 30 years. When they got old enough, the twins worked every summer, too. That's how they learned the business."

She nodded and he continued.

"But two teachers' salaries, even with the extra from construction work, couldn't cover the exorbitant costs of a school like Notre Dame. Especially in a family with six kids.

"So I started looking for ways to foot the bill, without putting myself in hock for the rest of my life. I played football in high school, but I was nowhere near good enough to play at a powerhouse school like Notre Dame, so a sports scholarship was out of the question."

"You played football, Nico? Were you the quarterback?

"How did you know?

"Just a wild guess." She smirked a little.

He looked a little puzzled, but he continued his story.

"It was my guidance counselor who suggested I apply for an ROTC scholarship. I'd have to serve for some number of years after graduation, but that didn't bother me at all. In fact, it was an enticement."

He looked at Dani and shrugged. "I was a stupid kid."

"I applied to all the services, and the Navy gave me the best deal. I got a full scholarship."

"So you found a way to go to Notre Dame, and age 22 was you just out of college, fulfilling your obligation to the Navy."

"That's right."

"And the SEALS? How long before you joined up, or however you do it?"

He gave her a little smile. "We have 3 days, and I'm already getting a little bored with my life history. Maybe the SEALS can wait until tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXX

Dani's phone rang again while they were stopped along the roadside enjoying their picnic lunch in the early afternoon sunshine. This time it was her daughter.

"Linds."

"Hi, Mom. I wanted to let you know that I booked a flight from JFK to Barcelona that leaves at 7 pm on Monday night, and gets in at 9 am on Tuesday morning. I'll text you the flight information. Can someone pick me up at the airport?"

"Of course. Oh, and guess what?" She couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. "Ray Jay and Juliette are coming down from Paris, so they'll be in Barcelona, too. It'll be like old home week."

Lindsay was silent for quite a while.

"Linds?"

"Mom. Ray Jay and Juliette?"

'They're just friends, Lindsay, and really, she's a pretty decent person. I think you gotta give her a chance."

Another pause, not quite so long this time.

"If you say so. It will be great to see that stupid brother of mine."

She hung up in a rush. "Bye, Mom, I don't want to be late for school."

XXXXXXXXXX

While Nico and Dani were leisurely making their way along the minor highways of central France, Gabrielle Pittman had already arrived in Barcelona and checked into The Majestic. It certainly wasn't up to her usual standards, she thought, but it would have to do.

She was having lunch in the dining room – at least it had a dining room– and making a list of everything she needed to do to ensure the ultimate success of her plan. Every detail must be considered so that her account of events would be accepted. She knew she had the advantage of having truth on her side, but she needed to prepare for every eventuality.

It felt good to have a project. She spent entirely too much time doing nothing at all that really required any input of intelligence or energy. And the prize to be won if, no when, this…this… mission was successful, would be more than worth all her efforts.

She had bought a map of the area, and she spread it out in front of her now on the dining table. That was her first obstacle: She couldn't quite remember the name of the town, only that it was right outside Barcelona.

And then, all of sudden, there, she was pretty sure that was it. Terragona. And then she looked again at the map, certain this time.

Terragona was a coastal town, and the map identified it as being along the shores the Balearic Sea. She remembered now. She had kept referring to it as the Mediterranean Sea, and they had kept correcting her. The people who actually had to spend their lives in that dismal place. As if she'd really given a crap which sea it was; she'd just wanted to get the hell out of there.

But now it came back to her. Terragona, on the shores of the Balearic. Not far from the Mediterranean.

She gave a little laugh. Apparently, she'd finally gotten that correct.

Now she needed to find the house. She was sure that armed with a street map of Terragona, plus a little luck and a little time, she could find what she was looking for.

Of course, that was a worry. She didn't know how much time she had.

How had they traveled? Was he already in Barcelona? She needed to follow up on that, too. Check into that restaurant, maybe. See what she could find out. Although she'd have to be careful, because she didn't want to run into him prematurely. No, she wanted to make sure that once she got his attention, she'd have all the facts she needed to ensure that he remained riveted.

And of course she'd also need the public record. As evidence. For some reason, Gabrielle found the idea of visiting city hall and asking about the public record to be somewhat…distasteful. She didn't look too closely at why.

So she decided she'd leave the record search for the next day.

After lunch, she returned to the lobby and asked the concierge to procure her a taxi, along with a street map of Terragona.

When the taxi arrived, she settled herself into the back seat. Although the day was a bit chilly, only in the mid-50's, the winter sun was shining through the taxi window, and she felt warm inside.

It was only a first step, but she could already see the end game.

She knew that she'd found the right key to open the door to Nico Careles. And now she just had to turn it in the lock.

XXXXXXXXXX

They hadn't been driving in a straight line, but rather meandering all over the countryside. Dani used her smart phone to access the Internet - although reception was often spotty at best – to find interesting or attractive places to stop along the way. It certainly wasn't the tourist season, but that very fact appealed to them. They rarely had to share their finds with any other travelers.

Nico had been right. They went through plenty of small towns, and even some larger ones, and there were inns or small hotels in many of them. When it got dark, as it did early at this time of year, they decided to stop in a town that boasted a quaint but decidedly dilapidated-looking inn. Its most desirable quality was that it had a restaurant, and the locals seemed to be lining up to eat there. That made it just about perfect, since they were far too tired to have to search for some other place to dine.

They were happy to find that there was a room available, but they also understood that this inn would not have amenities such as a king-sized or even a queen-sized bed. No. They would have to make do with a plain old-fashioned double-bed that had probably been in service since the end of World War II.

And there was no room service. Breakfast was included with their room, but of course, but they would have to emerge from that room to enjoy it.

No, it certainly wasn't the Georges V, not even close. But to them, it had one extremely desirable feature: they didn't know a single, solitary soul within at least 300 miles.

Or perhaps two desirable features, Dani thought as she kicked off her shoes and spread her travel-weary body across the bed. It was extremely comfy, she told Nico, and that was a definite plus, considering how much time they were planning to be in it.